US 5,620,554 AGranted

Apparatus for making a composite roofing product

AssigneeCarlisle Corporation

InventorJesse S. Venable

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An apparatus for making a composite roofing material includes a reel support for reels of each of a vulcanized rubber sheet, a polymeric film and a fleece matting and pinch rollers which advance the rubber sheet from its reel through a path including an abrading roller, a cleaning and scrubbing vat, a stretcher, a heater and then, along with the polymer film and the matting, through a pair of compression pinch rollers. The cleaning and scrubbing vat effectively removes the non-stick talc coating from the vulcanized rubber. The thus cleaned rubber sheet is heated by the heater to a temperature which is sufficient to melt the polymeric film as it comes into contact with the vulcanized rubber sheet. The melted film acts as an adhesive to cause the fleece matting to adhere to the vulcanized rubber sheet as the rubber sheet, the polymeric film and the fleece matting are compressed together by the compression pinch rollers. When the rolls of polymeric film and fleece matting are somewhat narrower than the vulcanized rubber sheet, a selvedge is left along one or both sides of the roofing.

Claims22

Dependent claims

Apparatus for making a composite roofing material, comprising:

(a) a splicer, a support for a first roll of vulcanized sheet downstream of said splicer, a first roll of vulcanized sheet in said support, a supply of fleece, and a supply of thermoplastic adhesive film, said vulcanized sheet extended along a path;
(b) A heater for heating a first side of said vulcanized sheet;
(c) said vulcanized sheet and said fleece compressed together, separated by said thermoplastic adhesive at a pair of unheated compression rollers immediately downstream of said heater and said rollers;
(d) said rollers compressing one side of said heated vulcanized rubber sheet with one side of said thermoplastic adhesive film while simultaneously compressing one side of said fleece with the other side of said thermoplastic adhesive film, wherein said heating is effective to heat the first side of said vulcanized sheet to a temperature above a melting temperature of said thermoplastic film;
(e) said splicer having a support for a second roll of vulcanized sheet, and a mechanism adapted to splice together a trailing edge of said first roll of vulcanized sheet to a leading edge of said second roll of vulcanized sheet;
(f) an apparatus adapted to guide said second roll of vulcanized sheet from said splicer to said apparatus to support said first roll of vulcanized sheet, thereby permitting splicing of vulcanized sheet from one roll to another on the fly.

3 more elements

Apparatus for making a composite roofing material, comprising:

(a) cleaning means for rinsing and scrubbing a vulcanized rubber sheet, said cleaning means comprising:
(i) a container containing cleaning fluid through which said vulcanized sheet is drawn;
and
(ii) a pair of counter-rotating brush cylinders positioned in said container for brushing said vulcanized sheet, each of said cylinders including a plurality of stiff bristles attached to the periphery thereof and extending along the length of the cylinder;
(b) heating means for heating the cleaned vulcanized rubber sheet;
(c) Compressing means for compressing one side of the heated vulcanized rubber sheet with one side of a polymeric film while simultaneously compressing one side of a fleece-like matting with the other side of said polymeric film;
(d) propulsion means for advancing said vulcanized sheet through a path which includes passing between said counter-rotating cylinders in said vat, said heating means and then said compressing means;
,and
(e) apparatus to tension said vulcanized sheet as it is advanced between said counter-rotating clinders.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/378,587Filed 26 Jan 1995 · division
Priority: 17 May 1994
Granted: 15 Apr 1997
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification47 codes

B32B 37/24
Characterised by the properties of the layers: with at least one layer not being coherent before laminating, e.g. made up from granular material…
B08B 1/34
Using rotary cleaning members: rotating about an axis parallel to the surface
B08B 3/041
Cleaning involving contact with liquid: cleaning travelling work
B29C 65/02
Joining or sealing of preformed parts , e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor: by heating, with or without pressure